Indianapolis man who targeted gay men in Detroit sentenced to at least 27 years in prison on homicide, robbery charges – New York Daily News

An Indianapolis man who pleaded guilty to the killing of a 39-year-old gay man in Detroit nearly two years ago has been sentenced on multiple multiple charges related to targeting members of the LGBTQ community.

Diabolique Paris Johnson, 35, was charged last year in the September 2020 killing of a 39-year-old man in Detroit, and in a separate armed robbery in Dearborn, a nearby suburb.

Prosecutors say that both victims were members of the LGBTQ community, and in both cases, Johnson used dating apps for gay and bisexual men to locate them.

On Wednesday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, in conjunction with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Michigan Justice Project (FMJP), announced that Johnson was sentenced to 25 to 45 years for second-degree murder, as well as two years to be served consecutively for felony firearm.

He was also sentenced to 15 to 30 years for armed robbery, which will run concurrent to the murder case.

“It is important to continue to acknowledge that crimes against the LGBTQ community are ignored and are not thoroughly investigated,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement, calling the sentencing a “significant conviction” for the FMJP,  an organization that helps law enforcement in investigating anti-LGBTQ crimes.

According to Worthy, the investigation was a collaborative effort involving police agencies in Detroit, Dearborn, as well as Indianapolis, Ind.

“I am proud to partner with Prosecutor Worthy and Fair Michigan to deliver justice for vulnerable populations that find themselves the target of bias-motivated crimes,” said Nessel. “Hate crimes threaten entire communities and must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Johnson was accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Joshua J. Smelser inside his home on Sept. 5, 2020. Prosecutors said he was also involved in the armed robbery of a 26-year-old man, which had taken place four days earlier at a hotel in Dearborn.

He pleaded guilty to the homicide and the armed robbery and also took responsibility for his actions, his attorney, Sanford Schulman, said according to The Detroit News.

He also said that drugs might nabe had influenced his client’s decision-making process.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Kevin Cox blasted the “very senseless and unprovoked series of crimes perpetrated by Mr. Johnson against innocent individuals.”

“I hope you had reminded, in one way or another, each and every day for the next 27 years at a minimum … of the damage that you have inflicted on so many innocent people,” Cox told Johnson

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